It’s the latest in a hearty list of initiatives out there, designed to build digital skills in the UK. That said, every little helps and it’s good to see that the GLA are working with existing high calibre providers rather than re-creating content from scratch.

Digital skills shortage in the UK

The UK certainly needs to tackle its chronic shortage of digital skills somehow. Businesses from all industries report that the skills in their companies are simply not keeping up with the needs of today’s market.

Three out of four businesses in the UK report a lack of digital skills amongst their employees, according to a survey of 1,400 companies by the British Chamber of Commerce.

In the tech sector itself, 50% of businesses report a shortage in highly skilled employees, and this is the biggest issue facing tech companies, according to Tech Nation’s 2017 survey.

Needless to say, uncertainty about the impact of Brexit on digital talent within the UK only underscores why schemes such as the Mayor’s Digital Talent fund are needed, if arguably already overdue.

Diversity as a business need

It’s also good to see that the Mayor has focused on encouraging a diverse tech sector.

In over 50% of tech businesses, men outnumber women by 3:1 (Tech Nation 2017). Simply by widening the pool of potential talent to include digitally skilled women will contribute to plugging the skills gap faced by today’s businesses. So, there’s a benefit to the size of the digital talent pool from encouraging diversity.

There’s also a benefit to the quality of the UK’s digital output: diverse workforces are better able to understand the varied needs of their users. In an era of ever-more personalised services, companies cannot expect to ignore this and remain competitive.

Bringing talent from a diverse set of backgrounds is the first hurdle. But it’s by no means the end of the race.

Whilst tomorrow’s diverse talent pool is learning its skills, those of us already in business should be focusing on building an inclusive workplace: an environment which gets the best out of everybody in the team, regardless of their differences.

Join us at The GovTechSummit in Paris on 12 November 2018 to bring entrepreneurs to the public sector!